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Elvis wrote you, too?
He called and said, "I'd like to screen Rocky. We'll rent the theater in Memphis, and we'll watch the film." And I didn't go. I was shy, believe it or not. And I remember, when he died in '77, I was doing F.I.S.T. So now I try to instill in my children: Grab something when it's offered. I'm not a big believer in reincarnation. I haven't met anyone yet: "Look at me, I was a caterpillar!"

Do you have regrets?
Regrets? There's tons. That is the fuel that keeps me going. It's not success, it's not money. It's regret. I was on cruise control from '85 to '95, and it was my fault. There were a lot of self-inflicted wounds, when I was not doing any original material. I wasn't directing. I wasn't writing. That's not who I am. I wish it was, it'd sure be a lot simpler, but it seems my fate is to be self-generating, produce my own films. I try to direct. That's why I admire Eastwood. Started as an amateur and became an auteur. I'm sorry I didn't adhere to opportunities presented, because I could've done so many things.

Clint controls his own fate.
Clint, I think, is also very clever behind the scenes in maintaining relationships.

In show business, you mean?
Yeah. Like the best one in the world at that is Arnold. There's no one in the world close to Arnold Schwarzenegger. He is a phenomenon. He's brilliant. Just because his physique belies that, don't underestimate him. He doesn't walk around like a college professor, but he is smart. He always made sure he was at the right parties. And Clint is extremely clever in that rural "one day at a time" thing: "Okay, I don't want to do another Harry, but it's going to give me that opportunity down the line."

You're kind of like that.
I knew that when all else fails, when your career is going down a generational vortex—where you have a new crop of moviegoers that don't embrace you the way the prior generation did—the one X factor is a sequel. "I know I'm pushing 60, and Rocky V was considered the worst, but give me one more!" What was once the bane of our existence, like, "God, we're typecast," it's what gave us a second shot.

You never felt imprisoned by those roles?
I used to. Now I'm elated, like, "Jesus Christ, I've got backup!" It's two good buddies who've got your back. And whether I want it or not, it's my signature. It's my brand. It's hard to say an actor is a brand, but that's what happens. Some actors are brilliant character guys. They submerge. But once you do films like Rambo, you're no longer an actor; you're something different. When you watch John Wayne, you never go, "Oh, where's John Wayne, I can't find him, he's so deep into the character!" No, you can't play "normal" anymore. It's always playing a person involved in a cause. The older I get, the more I embrace it. It's affirming.

Did you ever say, "Screw Rocky, screw Rambo"?
Oh, totally. Many times. After Cop Land, I actually made a declaration: "I am done with action films!" Like I'm moving on to
a world of…inaction. [laughs]

You said, "Action films have been all mined out. Mindless, senseless violence
is going away."
Such bullshit. See, this is funny. You sit there and rationalize anything. "Mindless, senseless violence." My God, it's as natural as breathing, unfortunately. And Rambo understands that dark part of the mind and the soul. That's why it's a hard character to play. People may not think so. I say, "Here's my headband. Here's my knife. Try it."

Let's talk Rambo. You have three
young girls, and there's a few moments in those films—and The Expendables—with violence toward women. Do you feel a responsibility for that?
No. The one thing I try to instill in my daughters is a lack of gullibility and that it's very easy to be a victim. You have to understand the propensity of violence that people can harbor. And that gullibility factor is… I'm trying to just weed it out of them. People say, "You're taking away their sense of innocence." No. They walk around with teddy bears, and they're as feminine as possible, but I want to show them this world is not Beverly Hills. I want them to understand that this is a violent, difficult, imperfect sphere we live on. I don't want you walking through New York City at 3 a.m. thinking everyone is your friend. If anything, I went light on the Burmese violence in Rambo. The violence is so horrendous that if I had put it down true, I would've been considered the incubus, Satan.
Here's my philosophy from now on in filmmaking: I have to consider each film my last film. I want no regrets. I want to say, "This is a story about Burmese civil war. Having done my research, I owe it to everyone, alive and dead, to try to be as truthful as possible." I can't make it a Rambo fantasy where everyone kisses and makes up.

With Rocky and Rambo, you've captured the tension that lives in men: romantic, family man, but also the rageful part.
Especially if you see something that you feel doesn't have your protection, like an innocent. When I see crimes perpetrated against children, I want to find this person myself. I get so panicked. If that had happened to my kid—the volcanic transition, I can't even fathom how bad it would be. I don't understand how society says, "Turn the other cheek." I'm going to remove the other cheek! I have nothing to live for. That spark is gone.
I've been perceived as a proponent of this kind of jingoistic saber-rattling. Rambo doesn't even live in America. So I took great offense when certain politicians made Rambo their boy. He has complete detachment from any political affiliation. He's America's waif, a Frankenstein's monster. He was created and then cut loose. But I was—what's that word they were using? A revisionist?